It has been proposed in known systems to protect vehicle occupants during a side impact collision by introducing an airbag between the occupants torso and an interior surface of the vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,073 is illustrative of a system in which an airbag protective system is located within the vehicle door. British Patent 2 232 936 B shows an airbag mounted in a vehicle seat.
With regard to seat mounted airbag systems it is desirable for the airbag and its associated mounting hardware to be constructed in a way that it is compatible with seat design and does not interfere with occupant comfort. All known airbag technologies mount the airbag in a rigid cover. This type of construction if placed behind the soft, compliant foam padding (or seat cover) of the seat reduces the resiliency of the padding lessening occupant comfort.
Inflators for airbags are necessarily bulky and heavy items since they contain compressed gas for inflation which must be safely contained. Traditionally an inflator comprises a cylindrical steel container which is mounted in a metal housing into which the airbag is folded. The resultant package which must be fitted into an automobile is bulky and unsightly and problems have been encountered in mounting such packages in the optimum positions within an automobile for safety purposes while satisfactorily disguising them to the satisfaction of interior designers, particularly in arrangements for protection against side impact forces.